Thursday, April 8, 2010

You know that thrill you get...

You know that thrill you get when you sign up for a race? You press that button, you fill out that form, you scramble for your credit card with your mind racing forward to the day of the event. You think "I CAN DO THIS!!!" and you take the plunge.

That's it, you're in, you'll get a bib number soon. All you have to do now is get yourself to the starting line.

That feeling, my friends, is one of the greatest feelings there is! (That and finishing a race, feeling absolutely fantastic in a race on a darn tough course, beating a PB best of yours during a regular ol' training session... oh boy the list does go on, doesn't it?)

In any case, I had that very feeling last August when I signed up for IM Canada (for this year, August 2010). Then my hopes were dashed (in a good AND bad way) when I applied (and got accepted) to study in Australia for a year starting July 2010. Well, all the giddy race feelings are back, because I just found out I might be able to do IM Canada after all!! That is, if I even have enough time to train properly and if course scheduling works out perfectly!

(Source: http://www.ironman.ca)

It's all up in the air for me right now, but at least I've got my initial dream back: IM Canada 2010!! That's all I can ask for.

I just came across your blog on your BT signature. I am in a similar situation as you are/were, although you are MUCH more advanced than I am! I'm going to be doing my first sprint this summer, but eventually I will end up doing more and more distances, working my way up to IMs... And I also just started my own blog, as well, to track my progress! It looks like we have similar thought processes! haha

It's great to see that there are other triathletes in Montreal! Where do you train, and how did you find a coach? Like I said, I'm still very much a beginner, but I will probably be looking to get a coach sometimes within the calendar year, and need to find some good bike routes! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Jeff - yeah, I thought it was about time to get a blog. I had started to ramble on in each BT daily entry. That's when I knew I had to take my meandering tri thoughts elsewhere!! Now... chamois butter... is that the same as BodyGlide?!

Peter - nice one, which Sprint will you be doing?! Is it soon?!The minute that I finished my first triathlon, I thought to myself: "WOO HOO, amazing, I'm so proud of myself. WHAT NEXT?!?!" It's a great feeling.

I live in the West Island, but I am moving out of country in a few short weeks. I train on my own (except for swimming, much of which is with a masters group). My coach is an online coach that I found through a regular old google search. You definitely want to make sure that you're with a reputable organization, and that you communicate with your potential coach your intentions and goals and how they can help you achieve them. Prior to having this coach, I had another coach with a different organization... and I must say that it wasn't too good. Total lack of communication and what I perceived as lack of effort. Currently I am with a coach at trismarter.com and I ABSOLUTELY 100% recommend their coaching services.

If you want more info, I'd be glad to help you out with what I know... although there is much that I don't know about the sport, that's for sure! It's a learning process...

Awesome! I can't wait for that feeling! My first tri is actually up at my cottage, which is 2 hours north of Toronto, but I plan on doing Montreal Esprit in September.

Are there good places to ride in the West Island? I work out there, and wouldn't have a problem bringing my bike to work if I can find a solid ride to do out there!

That's great advice about the tri coach. I think that I am going to get into on my own this summer, and then really train hard (masters swim, maybe a bike trainer, treadmill) over the winter. I may also look into a coach then. Is it easy to communicate with an online coach? I think I might have a hard time, because I don't know if I'll have proper form and such...

Oooh, my first ever triathlon was an Oly at the Montreal Esprit in September, back in 2008. REALLY well organized, and awesome for Sprint and Oly distances. I wouldn't have wanted to do it for a 70.3 or above because then you're doing what seems an interminable amount of loops on the bike circuit. It truly was amazing!! As for riding, hmm, there's always taking your bike along the Lakeshore. There's also a good "Senneville" loop on quiet roads. You can also take your bike off island into Ile Perrot for a loop, or further. To find out the best places to go riding, it's best to either go exploring or to join a riding club (try CCB, they are amazing, super cheap for a membership and really well organized!)

Thanks for the info! I'll take a look. I think I am going to start biking at lunch. I am also planning on joining the pool at John Abbott for the summer. So hopefully there will be a lot of training to be had!

That's great to hear about the Esprit! I have heard good things about it, and I have also heard the exact same thing about it being a BORING 70.3 and IM. We'll see. I've also heard it's relatively "easy"... as easy as an IM can be...